U.S. Housing Starts Unchanged in June

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he level of housing starts was unchanged in June from May’s rate, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.

uilders broke ground on 2.004 million housing units at an annual rate, Commerce said.

Analysts had forecast a pace of 2.05 million units and backlogs rose to a 26-year high, Bloomberg reported.

Rising construction likely means more business for flatbed trucking companies that haul building materials. Also, in the case of home construction, dry van freight can see an increase in demand for the delivery of household appliances and furniture.

Building permits, an indicator of future construction, rose 2.4% in June to an annual rate of 2.111 million units, from 2.062 million in May.

ousing starts declined in three of the four national regions, falling 12.1% in the Midwest, 10.4% in the West and 0.5% in the Northeast, while rising 11.4% in the South.